St Peter's CofE Junior School

St Peter’s CofE Junior School Ashworth Avenue, Ruddington, Nottingham, NG11 6GB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The headteacher, senior leaders and governors have been very successful at improving teaching and restoring high standards following a dip in English in 2012.  Pupils make good progress in all year groups because teaching is good.  Standards reached by the end of Year 6 are usually significantly above average, especially in mathematics.  Pupils’ progress in reading has accelerated this year. English standards now match those in mathematics.  Pupils’ communication skills in all year groups are strong. Teachers are good at asking the right questions to develop pupils’ ability to explain ‘how and why’ they have worked out their answers.  Teachers use the extensive grounds and facilities effectively to enhance pupils’ learning experiences.  Most pupils collaborate very well in their learning, in pairs and in groups.  Pupils’ behaviour is generally good in class and around the school, and they say they feel safe.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance is above average.  Subject leaders are well trained and fully involved in ensuring that their subject is taught well through the school.  Governors provide good levels of support and challenge to ensure pupils receive a good education.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding.  Starter sessions in lessons sometimes go on for too long, so pupils have too little time to learn independently or work on tasks matched to their different abilities.  Teachers are not consistently good at setting individual targets for pupils and using them to spur progress.  Pupils are not always given time to respond to the teachers’ written advice.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in all eight classes and saw all the teachers teach. They observed 23 lessons, several of which were seen together with the headteacher.  The inspectors looked at the work in pupils’ books to obtain a view of current achievement and progress over time. Some of this work was reviewed with the headteacher.  The inspectors talked to many pupils about their work, what they are involved in at school, and what they think about behaviour.  The inspectors listened to pupils read and checked the school’s records of reading progress.  The inspectors took account of 71 responses from parents to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also considered the parental views expressed in surveys carried out by the school, an email received from a parent by the inspection provider, and a discussion requested by a parent.  The inspectors considered the views expressed in the 29 staff questionnaires received.

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Information about this inspection

 Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body, senior staff, and teachers responsible for subjects. A discussion was held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own judgements on its strengths and weaknesses, records of the quality of teaching, the improvement plan, and the tracking of pupils’ progress. They also looked at safeguarding documents and records of behaviour and bullying incidents.

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Inspection team

Ruth McFarlane, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Peter Kerr Additional Inspector Sara Storer Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized school of its type. Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, those known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with a parent in the armed services) is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The school is in a member of the Rushcliffe Learning Alliance, a collaboration of 21 local schools. It is also a partner school in The Candleby Lane Teaching School Alliance.  The headteacher has been designated as a ‘local leader of education’, and in this role provides support for other local headteachers.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make more teaching outstanding, and so raise achievement, by making sure that:  starter sessions in lessons are kept brief, and pupils are given more opportunities to learn independently on tasks that are well matched to their abilities  individual targets are set for pupils consistently in literacy and numeracy, and frequently referred to in lessons  pupils are given time to respond to the advice given in teachers’ written marking, and teachers check that they do respond.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards are usually significantly above average in reading, writing and mathematics. School data show that usually, most pupils make at least good progress in all year groups. Pupils are on course to achieve similar results this year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are taught in the classroom with the other pupils, and support is tailored precisely to their needs. The interaction with other pupils helps broaden their learning and confidence, and this has helped some of these pupils to make outstanding progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The 2012 national test results showed that the overall progress Year 6 pupils had made since Year 3 had dipped and was lower than in most schools. Standards in English had dipped to average over two years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school took prompt action to identify and deal with the weaknesses causing this dip, and this year pupils’ progress has risen back to the previous good levels. Pupils, including more-able pupils, have exceeded nationally expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics between Key Stages 1 and 2, and are doing much better than in 2012.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils have responded well to a range of improvements in teaching. They much enjoy the guided reading sessions that form exciting daily half-hours, where pupils identify and discuss important points of topical news, non-fiction and literature. Accelerated progress in reading and stronger communication skills are the result.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There had been some inconsistency in progress between boys and girls in 2012. For example, boys were about six months behind girls in writing. The well-planned structures for writing, with plenty of discussion to develop confidence, appeal to boys’ interests and have helped to close the gap. A typical example was seen in a Year 5 session, where pupils wrote imaginative thrillers based on a series of pictures.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Girls were behind the boys by about six months in mathematics in 2012, but the new raft of strategies, with plenty of discussion involved, has made a good impact. In a Year 6 session, groups of pupils discussed possible patterns in number sets and shapes. The discussion and the challenge of fast-changing tasks helped them make rapid progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2012, the attainment of pupils eligible for the pupil premium in Year 6 was on average about two terms behind that of their classmates in English and mathematics. The gap has narrowed this year and progress has accelerated due to wise spending of the additional funding, for instance on individual tuition.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers pose probing questions to assess pupils’ understanding and extend their thinking, encouraging pupils to find out ‘how and why’. They teach confidently and with enthusiasm, and are very clear about what they want pupils to learn and how they can be successful in each lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where teaching is most effective, work is pitched at exactly the right level and involves pupils fully in making decisions. Typical examples are the guided reading sessions and some numeracy sessions where teachers guide pupils to work together well in pairs and in groups, and to discuss their views. This emphasis on teaching effective communication and thinking helps pupils make good progress in many of their subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants make the most valuable contribution to pupils’ learning when supporting disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. The school’s strategy to provide for these pupils within the classroom, rather than in separate small groups withdrawn from lessons, works well because staff are well trained and fully briefed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is often conducted at a brisk pace and there is a good level of challenge for most pupils. However, progress occasionally slows when starter sessions for the whole class go on for too long, limiting the time available for pupils to work on their own tasks and to find things out for themselves. Sometimes, the tasks are not matched well enough to their different abilities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ written marking is usually good, and the best offers good advice for pupils. However, pupils are not always given time to read and respond to the guidance.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The provision of longer-term targets, to help pupils understand how they can reach the next level in their learning, is patchy. Targets, where given, are not routinely referred to in class, to enable pupils to understand how the task in hand can help them reach the next level.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ consistently above-average attendance reflects their eagerness to learn and their enjoyment of school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Records support pupils’ view that behaviour is usually good, in class and around the school, and that bullying is not a concern.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have an excellent understanding about all the different types of bullying they might meet. Pupils know that discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. They show consideration and care to one another.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe in school and know about avoiding risk, for example from strangers, or from fire and water. Most parents agree that behaviour is good and that pupils are safe. Leaders go out of their way to apply the policies and procedures consistently, and they take seriously any concerns.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils make a valuable contribution to the life of the school. Members of the school council help to make the school a better place for all, such as by organising a rota to ensure fair use of the outside play resources, and deciding on how to spend money allocated for additional equipment.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is not exemplary. When teaching is not good, a very small number of pupils lose interest in learning. Behaviour around the school occasionally requires improvement, such as when leaving the hall after assembly.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Subject leaders contribute fully. They work together very well in reflecting on and analysing performance at all levels, and have focused successfully on restoring standards to their previous level.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers are given clear feedback about how to improve their practice. The national Teachers’ Standards are used to inform targets arising from the management of their performance. These are linked to pupils’ progress, which in turn is linked to pay rises.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school development plan has the right priorities, based on regular and rigorous monitoring, and it is reviewed regularly to check its ongoing impact. All staff can readily explain the priorities and what they are doing to achieve them.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils benefit from a good range of subjects, clubs and sports. The spacious grounds form a rich backdrop that enhances learning. Pupils take up individual garden plots and choose what to grow. A beautiful array of well-tended plants are currently in flower. The range of opportunities promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well and helps to make sure that all pupils, whatever their talents and abilities, have an equal opportunity to succeed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school shares its good leadership practice well through the headteacher’s support of other local headteachers. Staff training is good. For example, it has enabled subject leaders to contribute more effectively to managing teaching and learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has well-developed plans for a new range of partnership activities to benefit staff and pupils, based on the recent membership of the Rushcliffe Learning Alliance of 21 local schools. Work with the Candleby Lane Teaching School is also bringing benefits to teachers’ practice.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers have had a varied impact on the school’s effectiveness since the previous inspection. As a result, some standards dipped. However, clear evidence of a consolidated restoration of previous standards confirms the school’s strong position to make further improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority rightly judges this to be a good school, and provides suitable background support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have good expertise in educational matters. They know the school well and understand about pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching. They have a clear picture of data relating to pupils’ attainment and progress in comparison to similar schools nationally. They hold leaders to account and ask searching questions to ensure pupils receive a good education. They know what the school does to reward good teaching and tackle any underperformance, and have a good understanding about how it manages the performance of staff and sets targets. Governors keep a close eye on finances, and know how the pupil premium is being spent and its positive impact on eligible pupils. They also make sure that all safeguarding arrangements meet current national requirements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 122767 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 413016

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Junior School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 253 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sheila Johnson-Marshall Headteacher John Mapperley Date of previous school inspection 13–14 October 2009 Telephone number 0115 974 3303 Fax number 0115 974 5303 Email address office@st-peters-jun.notts.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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